Friday Factoid: Chicago Booth’s Harper Center

Designed by world-renowned architect Rafael Vinoly and completed in 2004 at a cost of $125 M, the Charles M. Harper Center houses Chicago Booth’s full-time MBA program. The Harper Center’s Winter Garden—a towering atrium with six-story, glass Gothic arches—is at the heart of the building and serves as a central place where students can study, socialize, hold club meetings and more. With over 400,000 square feet of space, 12 classrooms (on the downstairs “classroom level”), offices for the entire administration and faculty (on the third, fourth and fifth floors, known as the “faculty floors”), 31 group study rooms, a 3,500 square foot student lounge and a 150-person café, the Harper Center is a spectacular piece of architecture that helps shape Chicago Booth’s community and has contributed to the school’s bold new identity.